had most manifest reasons, and evident arguments, to induce him to suspect his ill servant Poliperchon, yet, out of the confidence he had in him, and the experience he had of his former loyalty, he would not make provision accordingly, because he would not seem so much as to misdoubt or suspect him; and so, by that means, he was murthered by him.

But the knot of this discourse is, that, if your Majesty find it reasonable, on the one side, by relenting the rigour of the oath, and, on the other side, by disabling your unsound subjects, you shall neither execute any, but very traitors, in all men's opinions and constructions, nor yet put faith and confidence in any but those, who even for their own sakes must be faithful.

The second point of the general part of my discourse is, the consideration of your foreign enemies, which may prove either able or willing to hurt you; and those are Scotland, for his pretence and neighbourhood; and Spain, for his religion and power: As for France, I see not why he should not rather be made a friend than an enemy; for, though he agree not with your Majesty in matters of conscience and religion, yet, in hoc tertio, he doth agree, that he feareth the greatness of Spain; and therefore that may solder the link which religion hath broken, and make him hope, by your Majesty's friendship, to secure himself against so potent an adversary.

And, though he were evilly affected towards your Majesty, yet, the present condition of his estate considered, I do not think it greatly to be feared, himself being a prince who hath given assurance to the world, that he loves his case much better than victories, and a prince that is neither beloved nor feared of his people: And the people themselves being of a very light and unconstant disposition; and besides they are altogether unexperienced, and undisciplined how to do their duties, either in war or peace; they are ready to begin and undertake any enterprise before they enter into consideration thereof, and yet weary of it before it be well begun; they are generally poor and weak, and subject to sickness at sea; divided and subdivided into sundry heads, and several factions, not only between the Huguenots and Papists, but also between the Montmorencies the Guises and the and the people being oppressed by all do hate all; so that, for a well settled and established government and commonwealth as your Majesty's is, I see no grounds why to misdoubt or fear them, but only so far forth as the Guisards happen to serve for boutefeus in Scotland; and while it shall please your Majesty, but with reasonable favour to support the king of Navarre, I do not think that the French King will ever suffer you to be from thence annoyed.

Therefore, for France, your majesty may assure your self of one of these two, either to make with him a good alliance, in respect of the common enemy of both kingdoms, or at the least so muzzle him, as that he shall have little power to bite you.

As for Scotland, if your Majesty assist and help those noblemen there, which are by him suspected, your Majesty may be sure of this, that those will keep him employed at home; and also, whilst he is a protestant, no foreign prince will take part with him against your

Majesty: And of himself he is not able to do much barm, the better part of his nobles being for your Majesty; and, if in time he should grow to be a papist, your Majesty shall always have a strong party at his own doors, in his own kingdom, to restrain his malice; who, since they depend upon your Majesty, they are, in all policy, never to be abandoned; for, by this resolution, the Romans anciently, and the Spaniards presently, have most of all prevailed: and, on the contrary, the Macedonians in times past, and the Frenchmen in our age, have lost all their foreign friends, because of their aptness to neglect those who depended upon them; but, if your Majesty could by any means possible devise to bring in again the Hamiltons, he should then be beaten with his own weapons, and should have more cause to look to his own succession, than to be too busy abroad, But Spain, yea Spain, it is in which, as I conceive, all causes do concur, to give a just alarm to your Highness's excellent judgment.

First, because in religion he is so much the Pope's, and the Pope in policy so much his, as that whatever the mind of Pope Gregory, and the power of King Philip, will or can compass, or bring upon us, is in all probability to be expected; himself being a prince whose closet hath brought forth greater victories than all his father's journies, absolutely ruling his subjects, a people all one-hearted in religion, constant, ambitious, politick, and valiant; the King rich and liberal, and, which of all I like worst, greatly beloved among all the discontented party of your Highness's subjects; a more lively proof whereof one could never see thau in the poor Don Antonio, who, when he was here, was as much at mass, as any man living, yet there did not so much as one papist in England give him any good counte nance; so factious an affection is borne to the Spaniards. Now as of him is the chief cause of doubt, so of him the chief care must be had of providence.

But this offers a great question, whether it be better to procure his amity? Or stop the course of his enmity? As of a great lion, whether it be more wisdom, to trust to the taming of him, or tying of him?

I confess this requires a longer and a larger discourse, and a better discourser than myself; and therefore I will stay myself from roving over so large a field: but only, with the usual presumption of love, yield this to your gracious consideration.

First, if you have any intention of league, that you see upon what assurance, or at least what likelihood, you may have that he will observe the same.

Secondly, that in a parlying season it be not as a countenance unto him the sooner to overthrow the Low Countries, which hitherto have been as a counterscarp to your Majesty's kingdom.

But, if you do not league, then your Majesty is to think upon means for strengthening yourself, and weakening of him, and therein your own strength is to be tendered both at home and abroad.

For your home strength, in all reverence I leave it, as the thing which contains in effect the universal consideration of government. For your strength abroad, it must be in joining in good confederacy,

or at least intelligence, with those that would willingly embrace the

same.

Truly not so much at the Turk and Morocco, but at some time they may serve your Majesty to great purpose; but from Florence, Ferrara, and especially Venice, I think your Majesty might reap great assurance and service, for undoubtedly they abhor his frauds, and fear his greatness.

And for the Dutch, and Northern Princes, being in effect of your Majesty's religion, I cannot think but their alliance may be firm, and their power not to be contemned: even the countenance of united powers doth much in matters of state.

For the weakening of him, I would, I must confess from my heart, wish that your Majesty did not spare thoroughly and manifestly to make war upon him both in the Indies, and the Low Countries, which would give themselves unto you; and that you would rather take him, while he hath one hand at liberty, than both of them sharply weaponed.

But, if this seem foolish hardiness to your Majesty's wisdom, yet, I dare not presume to counsel, but beseech your Majesty that what stay and support your Majesty, without war, can give to the Low Countries, you would vouchsafe to do it, since, as king of Spain, without the Low Countries he may trouble our skirts of Ireland, but never come to grasp with you; but, if he once reduce the Low Countries to an absolute subjection, I know not what limits any man of judgment can set unto his greatness. Divers ways are to be tried; among the rest one, not the worst in my opinion, might be to seek either the winning of the prince of Parma from the King of Spain, or at the least to have the matter so handled, as that the jealousy thereof may arise betwixt them; as Pope Clement did by the noble Marquiss of Pescara, for he practised with him, for offering the kingdom of Naples, not so much with hope to win him, as to make his master suspect him. And when I consider that Parma is a Roman by blood, a Prince born, placed in the place he hath, by Don John, and maintained in it by the malecontents, whereunto the king hath rather yielded of necessity than any other way; lastly, when I remember the city of Pierousa kept by the Spaniards, and the apparent title of his son Remutio to the crown of Portugal, things hardly to be digested by an Italian stomach, I cannot see how such a mind in such a fortune can sell its self to a foreign servitude,

The manner of dealing with him should be by some man of spirit, with the Venetian ambassadors at Paris, and afterwards with his own father in Italy; both which are in their hearts mortal enemies to the greatness of Spain.

But these sheets of paper bear witness against me, of having offered too tedious a discourse to your Majesty, divers of which points yet, as of mitigating the oath, the school hostages, the heartening of tenants, and the dealing with the prince of Parma, would require a more ample handling; but it is first reason to know whether your Majesty like of the stuff, before it be otherwise trimmed,

For myself, as I will then only love my opinions, when your Majesty liketh them; so will I daily pray, that all opinions may be guided with as much faith, as I have zeal to your Majesty's service, and that they may be followed with infinite success.

BRIEFE AND TRVE DECLARATION

OF THE

SICKNESSE, LAST WORDES, AND DEATH

OF THE

KING OF SPAINE,

PHILIP, THE SECOND OF THAT NAME,

Who died in his Abbey of S. Laurence at Escuriall, seuen miles from Madrill, the Thirteenth of September, 1598.

Written from Madrill, in a Spanish Leter, and translated into English
according to the true Copie.

Printed at London, by Edm. Bollifant, 1599, Quarto, containing a Sheet and an half,

This is the King of Spain, whose cruelties in the Indies and the Netherlands have recorded him among the most bloody tyrants, and his continual attempts to poison, assassinate, or dethrone Queen Elisabeth, and to invade and conquer England, have rendered his name odions to every true Englishman: and whose universal character is a compound of pride, ambition, injustice, oppression, treachery, and bloodshed: for all which, by the short account following, you will perceive, that God called him to judgment; and, by the plague of Lice, declar. ed his detestation of that sinful prince, before he departed this life. Yet, in this same account, it is remarkable, that he was arrived to that state of hypocritical insensibility, and delusion, that he thought all his barbarities, treachery, and treasons were doing God service, and that himself was ready to depart this life in the favour of God.

T

O satisfie my promise, and to giue answere to your letters, requiring my aduertisement of these present occurences, I pray you understand, that this yeere, 1598, the Royal Maiestie of our Lord, Don Philip the Third, being then but prince, was upon S. Iohn's day,

in the market place at Madrill, to beholde the bullbaytings f, and other pastymes which were there, at which sports the King his father (which is now in heauen) was not present by reason of the paine of the gout which sore troubled him. His Highnes, being returned from the foresaid place, discoursed vnto his father all that he had seene, whereupon his Maiestie answered: I am right glad to see thee so pleasant, for thou shalt neuer, so long as I liue, see me haue any case or comfort in this my painfull disease. And thereupon commaunded preparation to be made for his remouing to Escuriall. Doctor Marcado, one of his ordinarie phisitions, tolde him, he ought not to stirre, least the extremitie of his paie should increase. The King answered, seeing I must be carried thither, when I am dead, I had rather be carried thither being aliue. So that in the end, to satisfy his desire, his footmen took him vp vpon their shoulders, and spent sixe daies in going those seauen miles; where, after that he came, he was better for some fewe daies, though he was not able to stand, but was forced either to sit or to lie. But presently the goute reseasing him, accompanied with a feuer, made him far sicker than before; his phisitions shewed all the skil they could to giue him some ease, but the extremitie of paine so increased, that presently he entred into conside ration of his soule, by shriaing or confessing himselfe, and receiuing the sacrament, at which instant he commaunded Garcin de Loyaza to be consecrated Archbishop of Toledo, which was performed by the Popes nuncio, with all the solemnities and rites accustomed. There happened also to this good King, vpon his right knee, a bile, so angrie and swellinge, that he could take no rest; his phisitions being amazed thereat, one Elias, a phisition of Toledo, by whose aduice and direction of others, one Vergara, a licentiate surgeon, hauing applied all fit meanes to ripen the sore, opened it, and let foorth all the bad matter therein contained; soone after the which, there arose fower other biles vpon his brest, which likewise were ripened, opened, and cleansed ; this corrupt matter bred a great companie of lice, which were very hard to be killed, he remaining in this mean time so weake, that he was faine to be turned in sheetes, and lift vp with fower men, whilest two other made all things plaine, soft, and clean vnder him. Ten daies before he died, he fell into so great a traunce (lasting fiue howers) that it was easily perceiued, that his life and vital powers began to faile, which caused diuers lords in Madrill to prouide mourning garments. Being returned to himselfe, he said to the Archbishop and to those of the chamber there present: My friends and subiects, your sorrowes are of no force to recouer my health, for no humane remedie can profit me. The chiefe matter of your care ought to be to prouide, in time, all necessaries for my funerals; and, in the meane time I commaunde you to call hither your prince, which shall be your future King, and fetch hither vnto me my coffin that I shall be laide in, and place here, vpon this little cupboord‡, a dead man's skull crowned

• al. Madrid..

+ Bull-feasts, which are a sport different from the English bull-baitings; in as much as these are performed by dogs; but the Spanish are the Recreation of men on horseback, who, attended with running footmen, to supply them with lances, attack a mad bull at full liberty, and never quit him till they have killed him.

al. Cabinet.